NEWS RELEASE: State Expands Partnership to Help Students with Disabilities Prepare for Careers

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities sent this bulletin at 10/21/2019 01:02 PM EDT

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2019

State Expands Partnership to Help Students with Disabilities Prepare for Careers

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Today, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) announced the expansion of the Ohio Transition Support Partnership (OTSP) to ensure students with disabilities have support to gain the skills needed for in-demand careers.

Included in the state’s 2019-2020 biennium operating budget this year, the expansion provides approximately 270 additional students with disabilities in Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton counties with individualized transition services over the next year. The partnership will target an additional 360 students with disabilities statewide in the 2020-2021 school year.

“Career planning helps students identify where they want to go and how to get there,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “Expanding the Ohio Transition Support Partnership helps more students with disabilities get a great start to successful career paths.”

"The best way to remove barriers and support individuals with disabilities in viable careers is to offer a pathway to employment as they transition from middle and high school," said Kevin Miller, Director of OOD. “Once they land a job and succeed in the workforce, quality of life improves for people with disabilities, as they gain confidence, become financially independent, and enjoy contributing to their communities.”

Dedicated vocational rehabilitation counselors assist students with disabilities with career exploration and counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary education, paid work experiences, and job coaching. With the expansion, OTSP is expected to serve more than 4,000 students with disabilities statewide this school year.

“Supporting the diverse needs of students with disabilities is a necessary and important step to addressing equity,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria. “When students have the opportunity to gain work experience, it enriches their overall educational experience.”

For more information, visit https://ood.ohio.gov/Students-14/Ohio-Transition-Support-Partnership, or contact Julie Hance at 614-781-8724 or Julie.Hance@ood.ohio.gov.

OOD is the state agency responsible for empowering Ohioans with disabilities through employment, disability determinations, and independence. www.OOD.Ohio.Gov

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Programs provided by Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) are funded, in whole or in part, with federal grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For purposes of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program, including Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), OOD received 78.7% of its funding through the DOE VR grant. In Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2019, OOD received $99,548,657 in federal funds. Funds appropriated by the State covered 21.3 % of the total costs, or $26,942,648. Of these federal funds, $14,932,299 is set aside for Pre-ETS. For purposes of the Supported Employment (SE) Program, the DOE SE grant funded 90% of the costs for the Supported Employment for Youth with a Disability Program up to the grant amount and 100% of the costs of regular Supported Employment program costs up to the grant amount. In FFY 2019, OOD received $297,857 for SE Youth with a Disability and State appropriated funds paid a small amount more than the remaining 10% or $33,192 of the total costs. In FFY 2019, OOD received $297,857 in regular SE grant funds. For purposes of the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who are Blind (OIB) Program, the federal grant received from DOE in FFY 2019 paid 90% of the total costs incurred under the program. In FFY 2019, OOD received $1,153,208 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the State paid over the 10% required match or $130,000 of the total costs incurred under the OIB program.For purposes of the Independent Living (IL) Program, the federal grant received from HHS paid 90% of the total costs incurred in FFY 2019. In FFY 2019, OOD received funding of $640,571. Funds appropriated by the State paid 10% or $71,175 of the total costs incurred under the IL Program.